Last Weeks Women

Over the last week, the news headlines have read that it is unconstitutional to strip search a 13-year-old and that one Iranian woman has been martyred after being shot outside a protest in Tehran, Iran. Savana Redding of Arizona and Neda Agha Soltan have been the face of women all over the world this past week. They have caused a stir or a buzz, if you will, amongst Americans, Iranians, and the world.
What is the logical world coming to? Savana, now 19, just won her case in the Supreme Court in an 8-1 majority. Yes, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said that the school officials were totally within their rights and covered by the law to ask a 13-year-old girl to disrobe in a nurse’s office. Allegedly the school officials were searching for ibuprofen, which apparently a student needs a permission slip to carry with them in school. Are the school officials aware that one can procure a bottle of 300 ibuprofen at Costco for 20 bucks? Why would anyone need to sell it out of the elastic of their ratty underwear?

I was talking with a friend about Neda’s death. He had watched the video on YouTube, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. I had seen a video of a young man being beaten in the streets and couldn’t get through 30 seconds of it without tearing up and feeling as though my heart were being ripped out of my body. I don’t know this man, yet I feel an instant connection with him; a need to protect him; to yell and scream for him. So, if I watched as this young woman, the new martyr of Iran, the face of Iranian women; if I watched her bleed to death, I might just die a little with her.

My friend and I discussed how relevant a death in Iran is to Americans. He actually asked me a number of thought provoking questions. The questions led me to this: I think that the US needs to mind their own business for once in history. Often, when we get involved in volatile situations in foreign countries, we are on the “bad guys” side. And it’s up to Iran to work out it’s own problems. It sounds really simple, and as I read over it, a bit juvenile, but sometimes simple is the way to go. No one jumped in during the US Civil War when brothers were killing brothers in the name of ending slavery. They let us deal with it on our own.

It was only a matter of time before someone became the martyred face of the Iranian people’s protests. A young woman, 26, who was not on the front lines of protesting, nor carrying a rocks to throw in hate. This is why the world has turned her into a figure of peace. Neda has become a symbol of all those that have died in the fight for Iranian freedom and the world watched her die for that freedom.

Savana has become a martyr in her own way: her fight against the school administration for her basic human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human rights states: “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world…” It is obvious to me that Savana and Neda’s right to inherent dignity and their equal and inalienable rights were ignored.

In the past, women have seemed to receive the short end of the stick, but in the 2000’s we are fighting back and taking a stand. Even if it does mean that we are humiliated or killed.

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